Racket toy ball launcher

ABSTRACT

A racket toy for launching a ball includes a handle and a rim connected to the handle. The rim defines a central opening. A drumhead material covers the central opening. An arm is connected to the rim and extends towards a center of the central opening. A ball holder cup is positioned on the arm and features a central aperture sized to receive and hold a projectile ball by friction in contact with a front side of the drumhead material. A launching ball attached to the rim by an elastic strap in proximity to a back side of the drumhead material so that said launching ball may be pulled away from the back side of the drumhead material so as place the elastic strap in tension. When the launching ball is released, it strikes the back side of the drumhead material which causes the front side of the drumhead material to launch the projectile ball positioned in the ball bolder cup. The drumhead material produces a sound when it is struck by the launching ball.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/118,509, filed Nov. 28, 2008, currently pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to toys for children and, more particularly, to a racket toy with energy transference, sound and ball launch and a method for using same.

BACKGROUND

May toys have been developed and marketed that provide children with the ability to launch a projectile. Examples include the NERF line of ball shooters from Hasbro, Inc., which use air or spring pressure to launch small foam balls out of the toy. Another example is the CHUCKIT! ball launcher from Canine Hardware, Inc. which holds a foam ball in a friction fit cup and then provides a leverage arm with which to manually launch the ball. Blip Toys offers a ZOOM-O ball shooter featuring a net, where the toy shoots a ball up into the air to be caught by the child using the net. Such toys are very safe given the soft and/or lightweight nature of the projectile used.

Sling shots have existed for may years and are very popular. When used as a children's toy, however, they can be dangerous if a hard or sharp object is used as the projectile. A need therefore exists for a toy that combines the safety of a soft and/or lightweight projectile with the simplicity and fun of a slingshot. A need also exists for such a toy that provides an entertaining sound upon launching the projectile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front side perspective view of an embodiment of the racket toy ball launcher of the present invention and a spare projectile ball;

FIG. 2 is a front side perspective view of the racket toy ball launcher of FIG. 1 with the launching ball pulled back by a user so that the toy is ready to launch the projectile ball;

FIG. 3 is a back side perspective view of the racket toy ball launcher of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the racket toy ball launcher of FIGS. 1-3 after the launching ball has been released and the projectile ball has been launched from the toy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the racket toy ball launcher of the present invention is indicated in general at 10 in FIGS. 1-4. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the racket toy features a handle, indicated in general at 12, and a head, indicated in general at 14. The handle portion includes a finger grip portion 16 and is shaped for ease of gripping by a user, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-4.

The head includes a rim, indicated in general at 17 in FIGS. 1-4, that is preferably ring-shaped so as to define a central opening 20. While a circular shape is illustrated, the rim could feature alternative shapes, such as square or polygonal. The rim preferable features two halves: a front half, indicated at 18 a, and a back half, indicated 18 b.

A sheet of drumhead material 22, such as MYLAR, is pulled tightly across the central opening 20 of the racket toy head so as to cover it. The sheet of drumhead material is preferably transparent or clear so that a child may see through the racket toy head. The drumhead material may be any material that, when pulled tight, can deflect and produce a noise as described in greater detail below. The sheet of drumhead material is preferably approximately 0.10″ to 0.25″ thick.

The circumferental edge of the sheet of drumhead material is preferably sandwiched between the front and back halves (18 a and 18 b) of the rim and is secured in place by adhesive, a tab and groove or other fastening arrangement. The front and rear rim halves are preferably secured together by pegs that are molded in one half and that engage openings formed in the other half (see 24 in FIGS. 1-3) in a snap-fit arrangement. Alternatively, the rim halves may be secured together by screws, rivets or other fasteners.

An arm 26 is connected by its distal end to the rim front half 18 a and extends towards the center of the head central opening 20. A ball holder cup 28 is positioned at the distal end of the arm and features a central aperture 32 that generally corresponds to the center of the head central opening 20. It should be noted that alternative embodiments of the arm could be used including one that spans the central opening 20 in its entirety or one that extends from the handle or a position on the rim other than the one shown.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the central aperture 32 of the ball holder cup 28 is sized to receive and hold or retain by light friction fit a removable projectile ball 34. The central aperture preferably features a “+” shape, but may feature any alternative shape. In addition, arrangements other than those employing friction may be used to retain the projectile ball in the ball holder cup including, but not limited to, Velcro-type fasteners and gravity. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the racket toy is preferably provided with a second, or more, projectile ball 36.

While projectile balls 34 and 36 are preferably constructed from foam, any soft, lightweight, somewhat flexible and durable material could be used. The foam may be, for example, polyethylene or a similar material.

The ball holder cup 28 is preferably spaced from the sheet of drumhead material 22 so that the projectile ball 34 lightly touches the front side of the sheet of drumhead material when the ball is placed in the ball holder cup, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In an alternative embodiment, the ball may be positioned in close proximity to, but not in actual contact with, the front side of the sheet of drumhead material when in the ball holder cup 28.

A launching ball 38 is secured to the distal ends of first and second elastic straps 42 a and 42 b. The proximal ends of the elastic straps are secured to the back half of the rim 18 b. Alternatively, the racket toy may include a single elastic strap that extends through a bore formed in the launching ball with the ends of the single elastic strap attached to the rim. Launching ball 38 is preferably constructed from molded or cut foam (such as polyethylene or an equivalent material), although it could be made from a variety of other materials including, but not limited to, molded plastic or even wood. Elastic straps 42 a and 42 b may be constructed from any elastic material including, but not limited to, rubber, rubberized cloth or surgical tubing. In use, the launching ball 38 is pulled back into the launching position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 so that elastic straps 42 a and 42 b are stretched into a tension state with stored energy. This action is similar to the one used when operating a sling shot.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the user releases the launching ball 38, it travels forward (in the direction of arrow 44) and into the back side of the drumhead material 22 as the energy stored in the elastic straps 42 a and 42 b is released. As the launching ball 38 strikes the drumhead material, the drumhead material flexes forward and easily overrides the friction force holding the projectile ball 34 within the central aperture of the ball holder cup 28 so as to launch the projectile ball 34 from the ball holder cup 28 in the direction of arrow 46. As a result, the energy from launching ball 38 is transmitted through the drumhead material 22 to the projectile ball 34.

As the launching ball strikes the drumhead material, the racket toy produces a loud and enjoyable sound. In an alternative embodiment, a more flexible drumhead material may be used, or the tightness of the drumhead material may be reduced, so that the sound produced by the racket is quieter.

As noted above, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the projectile ball 34 may be positioned in non-contacting, close proximity to the front side of the sheet of drumhead material, instead of in light contact with it, when located in the central aperture of the ball holder cup 28. This embodiment would still launch the projectile ball when the racket is operated as described above, but would result in lack of full energy transference between the launching ball and the projectile ball.

The handle and head of the racket toy is preferable constructed from an injection molded, durable plastic, such as high impact styrene or ABS. The handle, arm 26, ball holder cup 28 and front rim half 18 a are preferably molded as a single piece, with the back rim half 18 b molded as a separate piece that is attached to the front half as described above. Alternatively, the head and handle of the racket toy may be constructed of separate pieces that are manufactured separately and then joined together. The balls 34, 36 and 38 are preferably 1″ to 4″ in diameter or larger.

The racket toy ball launcher therefore provides the user with a unique and enjoyable play toy and activity that provides both visual and audible entertainment. 

1. A racket toy for launching a ball comprising: a) a handle; b) a rim connected to the handle and defining a central opening; c) a drumhead material covering the central opening; d) an arm connected to the rim and extending towards a center of the central opening; e) a ball holder cup positioned on said arm and featuring a central aperture sized to receive and adapted to hold a projectile ball in proximity to a front side of the drumhead material; f) a launching ball attached to the rim by an elastic strap in proximity to a back side of the drumhead material so that said launching ball may be pulled away from the back side of the drumhead material so as place the elastic strap in tension so that when the launching ball is released, it strikes the back side of the drumhead material which causes the front side of the drumhead material to launch a projectile ball positioned in the ball holder cup.
 2. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material produces a sound when it is struck by the launching ball.
 3. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the elastic strap includes a first elastic strap and a second elastic strap with distal ends of the first and second elastic straps attached to the launching ball and the proximal ends attached to the rim.
 4. The racket toly of claim 1 wherein the elastic strap passes through a bore formed in the launching ball and has ends attached to the rim.
 5. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the arm includes a proximal end attached to the rim and a distal end attached to the ball holder cup.
 6. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the rim includes a front half and a back half with a circumferential edge of the drumhead material secured there between.
 7. The racket toy of claim 6 wherein the handle and at least one of the front half or back half of the rim are molded as a single piece.
 8. The racket toy of claim 6 wherein the handle, at least one of the front half or back half of the rim, the arm and the ball holder cup are molded as a single piece.
 9. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the handle includes a finger grip portion.
 10. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material has a thickness in the range of 0.10″ to 0.25″.
 11. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the central aperture of the ball holder cup is adapted to hold a projectile ball by friction.
 12. The racket toy of claim 11 wherein the central aperture features a “+” shape.
 13. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the launching ball has a diameter in the range of 1″ to 4″.
 14. The racket toy of claim 1 further comprising a projectile ball removably positioned in the central aperture of the ball holder cup.
 15. The racket toy of claim 14 wherein the projectile ball is constructed from foam.
 16. The racket toy of claim 14 wherein the projectile ball has a diameter in the range of 1″ to 4″.
 17. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the ball holder cup is positioned so as to hold a projectile ball in contact with a front side of the drumhead material.
 18. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the ball holder cup is positioned so as to hold a projectile ball in close proximity to, but not in contact with, the front side of the drumhead material.
 19. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material is transparent.
 20. A method of launching a projectile ball for play comprising the steps of: a) providing a racket toy with a handle and a head, the head including a ball holder cup on one side of a drumhead material and a launching ball attached to the head by an elastic strap on the other side of the drumhead material; b) positioning the projectile ball in the ball holder cup; c) pulling the launching ball away from the drumhead material so that the elastic strap is placed in tension; and d) releasing the launching ball so that it travels towards and strikes the drumhead material so that the drumhead material launches the projectile ball from the ball holder cup and a sound is produced. 